The Liberty-Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce will host their monthly business luncheon on Wednesday, July 18, 2007, at the Immaculate Conception Church Marian Hall in Liberty.

This event will feature Andrew McClusky, a talented leader in the field of youth team dynamics. Andrew launched the Get A Grip Student Leadership Retreats in 2005, an organization that provides education and training for high school students in the Art of Intentional leadership.

Andrew’s unique way of making leadership enjoyable, educational and experiential has been recognized across the country. He has received honors from the National Youth Leadership Forum and Envision Management Group LLC both based in Virginia, the Leadership Honors Bootcamp program in Washington, D.C. and Workshop AZ, a professional consulting company in Arizona.

Andrew believes that an effective leader is one who is always willing to learn and develop new skills and techniques, expanding their leadership potential. Leadership is a highly individualized talent, with different individuals and groups responding to different leadership techniques. To be an effective leader, one must study each situation and decide on the best method to reach the desired end result. As a facilitator and speaker, he has worked with hundreds of student leaders and dozens of organizations.

Andrew’s energy, coupled with his commitment to make leadership enjoyable, makes him a favorite with his participants. His programs get results! By using peer instruction and leadership, Andrew hopes to grasp and hold the attention of participants, who often are reluctant to participate in more traditional programs. This allows them to immediately begin implementing what they have learned and develops their leadership skills, building confidence and gaining experience for future tasks.

Andrew is pursuing a degree in Agricultural Leadership and Group Psychology from Texas A&M University. He continues his training with experiential learning throughout the state in all areas of developing community. He dedicates time to coaching and mentoring high school students and youth.

Andrew McClusky’s mission is to guide young leaders to develop skills for success with a focus on the process to get results.

Reservations are necessary and can be made by calling (936) 336-5736 or e-mail: chamber@imsday.com.

Please help the Chamber by calling in your reservations by Monday prior to the Wednesday luncheon. A final head count of those attending is given a day before the event to the caterer (at the very latest). The Chamber sounds good for the number of reservations.

Also, remember to sign up for the 60-second commercial at the luncheon. This is a great opportunity to tell about your business!

Expansion urged
U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-Texas), a lead sponsor of the Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act, along with Congressman Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-Florida) and Congressman Corrine Brown (D-Florida) unveiled last week a bi-partisan bill to encourage expansion of America’s rail system to handle additional freight that threatens to overwhelm America’s highways in the next 20 years.
“America’s biggest mobility challenge in the future isn’t cars – it’s cargo” said Brady. “Without a major expansion of rail capacity American drivers will see more trucks on the road and longer commutes to work.”
Demand for freight rail is booming – nearly doubling in the next twenty years, say national transportation experts. Yet today there is little room for new business on already crowded rail lines.
“The railroads have invested a lot of their earnings, nearly 40 cents of every dollar, but they can’t keep up and they can’t do it alone,” said Brady. “It is in America’s public interest to encourage more private investment to new tracks, spurs, technology and intermodal facilities to move freight efficiently and with less cost to the environment.”
The measure, H.R. 2116, provides a 25% tax credit for new rail infrastructure like track, terminals, signals and locomotives that increase capacity. Railroads and private shippers, including Texas trucking companies and port developers, would be ineligible for the tax credit.
The Department of Transportation, projects a 67% growth in total freight traffic by the year 2020, which will add 6.6 billion tons of freight to the already overcrowded highway system. Brady sees a modern, expanded rail system as a way to relieve that congestion nightmare.
“This incentive will be a major step forward toward creating a 21st century rail system that will allow our economy to grow, improve our environment and ease congestion on our roadways.”
Brady, a Texas Republican in his sixth term in Congress and who district includes Polk County and a portion of Liberty County, is a member of the Trade and Social Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. He is a deputy whip for the Republicans, as well.